Erik Dixon, left, and Luke Higgins (Booking photo courtesy Montgomery County District Attorney)
Judge cites lack of evidence tying defendants to alleged assault during West Norriton confrontation
Montgomery County Common Pleas Judge Risa Vetri Ferman dismissed all charges against two alleged members of the Pagans Outlaw Motorcycle Club following pretrial hearings tied to a 2025 shooting outside a Wawa in West Norriton Township.
The defendants, Erik Dixon, 33, of Upper Merion, and Luke Clayton Higgins, 29, of Berks County, were released from Montgomery County Correctional Facility after the court threw out charges including aggravated assault, conspiracy, riot and reckless endangerment, according to The Mercury.
The decision came after defense attorneys argued prosecutors failed to present enough evidence to show either man actively participated in the violent confrontation that left six people injured, including two bystanders, per the report.
During hearings, Dixon’s attorney maintained his client never engaged in the fight, did not use a weapon and remained on his motorcycle before leaving the scene shortly after gunfire broke out. Higgins’ attorney made similar arguments, contending the case lacked proof of his specific role in the incident, according to The Mercury.
Ferman did not issue a written opinion explaining the dismissals, but the rulings followed testimony challenging the strength of the prosecution’s case, per the report.
The case stems from an Oct. 17, 2025 clash between Pagans members and a rival motorcycle group in the parking lot of a Wawa along West Main Street. Dixon and Higgins were among nine individuals charged in connection with the altercation.
Earlier this week, co-defendant Jason William Lawless pleaded guilty to lesser charges and admitted to acting in support of the group, receiving a county jail sentence followed by probation.
Six remaining defendants are still awaiting trial on assault and conspiracy-related charges, with proceedings expected to continue in the coming months: George T. Cwienk III, 51, of the unit block of 7th Street, Bridgeport; Erik P. Rosenberger, 46, of the 400 block of Blaker Drive, East Greenville; Manuel “Machete” Baez-Santos, 34, of the 600 block of Kohn Street, Norristown; Joel “Chihuahua” Hernandez-Martinez, 36, of the 300 block of West Sixth Street, Bridgeport; George Hripto Jr., 50, of the 200 block of East Fourth Street, Bridgeport; and Justin “Junkyard” Ray Noll, 34, of the 600 block of Memorial Highway, Fleetwood, Berks County.
Meanwhile, additional pretrial motions — including requests to separate the cases — remain under consideration by the court.
On Friday, October 17, 2025, at 9:12 p.m., West Norriton Township Police were dispatched to the Wawa, 2544 W. Main St., for a reported shooting. The 911 caller said the store manager had locked down the building and had customers hiding in the back area.
A joint investigation by West Norriton Township Police and the Montgomery County Detective Bureau determined the shooting was gang-related and resulted in six people being shot, including two innocent bystanders.
According to the investigation, an adult male was shot in the face while putting air in his vehicle’s tire, and an adult female was shot in the right side of her torso as she stood near the store’s entrance.
One member of the Unknown Bikers Outlaw Motorcycle Club was shot in the left forearm and thigh, authorities said.
Detectives used surveillance video, eyewitness accounts, and other evidence to piece together the events. Video showed two Unknown Bikers members arriving at 9:08 p.m. to refuel when nine Pagans arrived together at 9:10 p.m.
“Some of the Pagans surrounded the opposing gang members, while other Pagans positioned themselves to block any escape,” a release from the District Attorney stated. “Almost immediately, a physical altercation ensued … Video shows Pagan gang members tactically moving through the area and taking a shooting platform stance.”
One minute later, gunfire erupted, and the Pagans fled the scene toward Norristown. Detectives recovered 14 fired cartridge casings at the scene.
Norristown Police later located four motorcycles and five Pagan gang members traveling eastbound on Main Street. Officers found that Rosenberger, Higgins, Cwienk, Hernandez-Martinez, and Noll had all been shot and were transported to area hospitals.
The investigation involved the Montgomery County Detective Bureau’s Violent Crime Unit, the District Attorney’s Gun Violence Reduction Task Force, and police from West Norriton, Upper Merion, Norristown, Bridgeport, the Pennsylvania State Police, and the Pennsylvania Office of the Attorney General’s Gun Violence Task Force.
For more details on the case and prior developments, read more here
All suspects and defendants are innocent until proven guilty. This story was compiled using public court records.
